The Movie Lover's Four Quadrants
How many kinds of movies are there? To the uninitiated, they may believe there are countless kinds of movies, all with their own genres, themes, and subjects. This view expresses an obvious naivete and generally unrefined approach to categorizing movies, usually held by casual movie fans. Others reject the countless-kinds-of-movies contingent and have settled on the assertion that there are only two kinds of movies: good movies and bad movies. This overly simplistic dichotomy is not only wrong but also reveals an insidious elitism that is destroying the film industry; this view is often held by film-snobs and professional critics.
Where does this leave us, the true movie lovers? Are we forced to agree with either the foolish ignorant or the snobby elitist? No, may it never be. There is a better way. We respond with a simple statement of unalienable fact: there are four kinds of movies! The best approach to understanding and categorizing the quality and enjoyability of movies is the Movie Lover's Four Quadrants: Good Good, Good Bad, Bad Good, and Bad Bad.
Shrugging off the uncategorized nature of the casual fans and the unhelpfully stringent requirements of the film-snob, these four categories most helpfully accounts for the technical precision of a movie (acting, score, cinematography, etc.) and the entertainment it provides (emotional connection, humor, excitement, etc.). Quality and enjoyment become the two axes on which movies are judged and categorized (thus creating four quadrants). Many movies seem to soar on both axes (technically sound and highly enjoyable), others however do one well but not both (high quality but not enjoyable or low quality but highly enjoyable), and a doomed few fall into the category of failing at both (technically flawed and unenjoyable).
Good Good movies are just that: good. They artfully balance technically precise filmmaking techniques with compelling characters and stories that connect with audiences. These are eternally rewatchable movies that beg to be revisited time and time again. They stand the test of time and often transcend genre and decade; the Dark Knight is not "a good superhero movie", it is simply a good movie (or more appropriately, a good good movie). In these movies score, cinematography, characters, plot, and other movie making tools are crafted to expertly maximize enjoyment.
Primary Example: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Good Bad movies although they are praised for their technical precision are mostly unenjoyable. They are often bloated, boring, consciously-artsy, or insincere. Perhaps on a first watch they are good (and sometimes seem great), but ultimately they have little enduring impact and leave the watcher with no desire to ever re-watch. It is common for these movies to be praised by critics but ignored or disliked by most moviegoers. These really important movies are often about really important topics and the movie reminds you how really important it is constantly. Unfortunately, these movies are often the recipients of trophies at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and other major award shows. When they inevitably win it leaves the audience saying, "Who has ever seen Greenbook?"
Primary Example: Don't Look Up (2021)
Bad Good movies are movies that despite having obvious technical flaws still manage to excel as an enjoyable experience. When you finish one of these films you are not left with praise for the technical aspects of filmmaking (acting, lighting, cinematography), but you are sure that you had fun. You would not nominate this film for an oscar, but you would recommend it to your friends. This is often the category of beloved nostalgic films; they may not be top-tier-cinema, but they stick with you with an enduring impact. These are special movies in our hearts that we love even when we can't fully defend it, often gaining a cult-following that cannot be predicted by their critical acclaim (or lack thereof). They often top your favorites list even if they don't chart on the IMDB top 100. These are hugely rewatchable and become required viewing for the children of movie lovers.
Primary Example: Anaconda (1997)
Bad Bad movies are exactly what they sound like, bad. These movies masterfully mix poor quality with little to no enjoyability, converging to create a product that never justifies its own existence. They are often obvious cash grabs from greedy fun-hating movie studio executives that think what an audience wants to see is an Oreo™ themed Transformer™ (looking at you Transformers: Age of Extinction™). Although some sequels and reboots have turned out wonderfully, many happily make millions of dollars and settle nicely right into this quadrant. If these movies make you laugh, it is because you are laughing at a stilted performance; if you cry, you are crying for your lost two hours. These movies are bad, but people keep watching them and so Hollywood will keep spewing them out.
Primary Example: Madame Web (2024)
Identifying the proper quadrant for a movie is often the easy part, plotting the precise point within that quadrant is often a more delicate and subjective matter. The higher the movie is on the quality axis the better the quality and a lower point corresponds to lower quality. The further right on the enjoyability axis the more enjoyable and further left indicates less enjoyment. And so, the top right of any quadrant would be the highest quality and highest enjoyment (of that quadrant). By these metrics, movies within any given quadrant can be compared against each other. Tokyo Drift might be bad bad, but it is not as bad bad as Morbius.
As is always the case with judging a piece of art (if movies can be called art), there is an understandable level of subjectivity. These categories and quadrants are not meant to be the final word on movie debates but rather should be catalysts for further conversations. One man's Good Good might be another's Good Bad, and that is okay. As long as it keeps us talking about the things we love: movies.
Movies start at a position on the grid and move based on votes. When you vote, you nudge a movie's Quality up or down and its Enjoyability left or right. The more votes a movie has, the smaller each nudge becomes, so early voters have more influence and scores stabilize over time.
Concept by Tyler Boyette